Still, now that the beautiful international lawyer is engaged to the Oscar winner, Pigozzi, an international art collector and streetwear designer, says it was the 36-year-old's intelligence as much as her beauty that captured the actor's attention.

"She's a very smart girl," says Pigozzi, who first met Alamuddin several years ago via a mutual friend in London. "She's never boring. She does a lot of interesting cases and has worked in The Hague. She has incredible stories. She doesn't do cases like, 'My apartment was flooded,' or 'My dog bit your cat.' "

At a party Wednesday at Pigozzi's art-filled Manhattan apartment for his Limoland line of brightly colored shirts, T-shirts and swimwear (Scott Disick is a fan), Pigozzi said, "She found a good match there, because he's very smart, too. They will be good together. I highly encourage it."

Besides, he says, "She's a very smart and serious girl. Very good family."

Pigozzi, who reached out to offer his congratulations to Alamuddin after their announcement, says she isn't one to dish on the details. "She is very discreet," he says.

And to that point, he adds: "I don't know anything about the wedding. But she is very happy."

This guy hardly sounds like a friend--acquaintance more likely. His vocabulary seems limited to looks and "smart." I expect we will see a lot of the "tidbits" about Amal from such acquaintances, but not much from those who know her very well. She is going to have to get accustomed to invasion of privacy on a scale only a few people ever experience.

There are pix on here of her at his function at Limoland in Manhatten a year ago in a peach-coloured dress I think. And she's photographed with Jared Cohen (Obama administration) Pigozzi and others.....

I have a feeling that the invasion of privacy will be at a minimum in the future. After all she's not a well known Hollywood type and people won't be interested in her once the wedding hoo-ha has quietened down.

Just being curious....do the wives of other A Listers get bothered much by invasion of privacy problems if they're not connected with Hollywood life ?Obviously I don't see much coverage of such things here in UK.

This article shows Amal was a well connected woman on the international jet set circle long before her association with George.As the article says she was known for never being boring, and unlike Hollywood types a little more sophisticated and "very discreet".